


Greatest Gift I Ever Received

by Unicorn_BadAss



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Military, Romance, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 01:02:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15303987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unicorn_BadAss/pseuds/Unicorn_BadAss
Summary: Those three years Waverly and Nicole were kept apart had been the worst three years both of them ever had to endure. But Waverly would never forget the day that Nicole came back and asked her to spend the rest of eternity together. Now, only days, then moments, away from the next biggest step in their lives, Nicole and Waverly try not to let the memories of those three years apart ruin their day.*MUST READ previous work "Three Years" in order to properly understand this piece*





	1. Waking Up Alone Scares Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone!
> 
> With season 3 of Wynonna Earp coming to us so soon; and nothing else to do with my life, I thought I would write a little FanFiction of everyone's favorite couple: WayHaught. This is actually a small continuation of a previous FanFiction I wrote, so I highly recommend going back and reading it first. (Hint: Title of previous work is mentioned in the summary.)
> 
> Hopefully, you all enjoy this small piece as much as I did writing it! Just a small FYI, this will probably be at least two or three chapters long, in order to do time jumps accurately. Don't be afraid to comment and let me know how it is or if you would like a prompt written and dedicated to you!
> 
> -Me-

Laying in her bed with as many blankets as humanly possible, plus a bonus blanket, Waverly Earp gently stirred in her sleep with a smile on her face as she thought back to the day Nicole came back home; the day Nicole asked Waverly to spend the rest of their lives together. After three years without Nicole, Waverly never thought she would be able to live a normal life again. Anger, rage, frustration, sadness, and more continued to consume Waverly's once bright personality with each day that went by without Nicole.

But then Nicole came home; she came back in the way only movies or novels are able to portray the return of a loved one after so much time apart. At first, Waverly didn't want to believe the sight of Nicole standing in the doorway of the homestead dressed in the Dress Blue uniform for the marine corps, let alone the sight of Nicole kneeling down on one knee a second later.  _Between denying she was even there and sobbing my eyes out in front of everyone, I could not stop thinking about how sexy Nicole looked in that uniform._

Almost a whole year had passed since then, meaning Christmas was right around the corner. However, it also meant that the much-anticipated wedding of the century between Waverly and Nicole was only a few days away. Why did Waverly insist that their wedding take place on Christmas day? She never told anyone her reasoning, not even Nicole. Nonetheless, no one complained about the date of the wedding as they were extremely thrilled the two love-birds were finally getting married.

With a small smile on her face, Waverly turned in the bed to face the spot where Nicole usually sleeps. For three years, that spot in the bed was empty and even started losing the dip in the mattress that showed where exactly Nicole would sleep. Several nights went by throughout those three years where Waverly would simply lay in that dip of the bed just to feel as though Nicole was holding her again. Other nights Waverly would hold Nicole's police academy hoodie close to her chest and allow tears to fall as she tried to get the scent of Nicole: the scent of vanilla-dipped donuts.

However, Waverly's thoughts come to a complete halt when she doesn't feel Nicole in the bed beside her; just an empty space in the bed and some ruffled up blankets. Instant panic starts to flood itself into Waverly's mind and heart, causing her heart to start racing in her chest and her mind to run a million miles a minute.  _No no no no... She came home last year... Everything is fine... My mind is just messing with me again... I know because we just fell asleep together last night after..._

Jolting upright in the bed, Waverly looks around her room at the homestead to find some sign that Nicole was here. Even if it is a sock that Waverly knows is not her own, anything to show Waverly that her mind is just over-reacting again would help. Although this is not the first time Waverly has experienced a panic attack due to the thought of Nicole not being home, she couldn't help the fact that another one was starting to settle in. Trying to get her mind to calm down and remember that Nicole is actually home, Waverly thought back to the other times her mind got the best of her.

*******

_"Waverly, Baby, please take a deep breath for me. I am right here with you and haven't left again," Nicole pleaded to Waverly as she cried in her sleep and tried to escape Nicole's grasp. Nicole had only been home for a month learned first hand what Wynonna had to go through more than she wanted. There were many nights where Waverly would start crying in her sleep for Nicole to come back, or Nicole would have nightmares due to the things she had seen on the battlefield._

_Nicole moved to straddle herself above Waverly, hoping it would help calm her and get her to stop thrashing around in her sleep. Placing her hands gently and cautiously on both sides of Waverly's face, Nicole began whispering several different things to Waverly. Nicole would whisper how much she loved Waverly, what went through her mind the first time she laid eyes on Waverly, and sometimes even the lyrics to their favorite songs. After a few minutes of showing constant love and affection, while also trying to hold in her fear and worry, Nicole noticed Waverly's breathing slow down and her thrashing completely stopped._

_"That's it, Baby. Take nice deep breaths and just listen to the sound of my voice," Nicole started saying as a small smile formed on her lips. "I promised I would never leave you again after everything that happened and I don't intend on breaking that promise any time soon. I love you so much, Waverly Earp," Nicole continued between placing light kisses all over Waverly's face. However, when she started feeling tears running down Waverly's face during her soft assault of kisses, Nicole stopped and noticed Waverly had woken up._

_"I'm so sorry, Nicole... for being such a broken mess anymore... I mean, for heaven's sake, you are the one who lived through a war, fighting, and more horrible things. Yet here I am... crying because of a silly nightmare," Waverly whispered softly as she buried her head in the crook of Nicole's neck. Although Nicole wanted nothing more than to continue to comfort the love of her life, she felt her heart break in her chest a little bit as each second passed and with each of Waverly's tears that hit her shoulder._

_For just a moment, the only thought running through Nicole's mind was about how she caused these feelings Waverly was experiencing. That because she had to be young and dumb, just to prove a point to her family that she could still make something of herself just because she was attracted to women, Waverly was going through an unimaginable pain. And at that point, Nicole started feeling tears of her own begin to cascade down her face and watched as they impacted against Waverly's back._

*******

After jumping out of her bed completely and grabbing the nearest articles of clothing she could find, Waverly quickly ran down the stairs in order to search the rest of the house for Nicole. Her heart was still pounding like a tribal drum inside her chest, almost hard enough it hurt her rib cage with each beat, and the only coherent thought on her mind was to find Nicole. She just wanted to feel Nicole's strong arms around her again and hear her comforting voice whisper anything in her ear.

Waverly first looked in the living room, hoping to find Nicole sitting on the couch while chatting with Wynonna. However, all Waverly found in the living room was Calamity Jane resting on top of her small tower in the corner of the room and Doc Holliday sleeping peacefully on the couch with a photograph of Alice in his hand. Although Waverly's head was begging her to wake up Doc and ask him if he had seen or heard Nicole at all, her heart couldn't bear the thought of waking up Doc when he already had issues sleeping lately.

Waverly quickly and quietly began searching the rest of the first floor for Nicole, feeling the panic in her veins grow increasingly intense as each room in the house continued to come up empty.  _She isn't in the kitchen or dining room eating breakfast... She isn't in the bathroom taking a shower or anything... Where are you, Nicole? Please just let me find you soon..._   _I don't know what is real anymore right now..._

Deciding to check outside as the last resort, Waverly had a split second debate in her head if she was going to put shoes on or not. Choosing not to waste time by putting shoes on, Waverly quietly ran out the front door and into the deep snow while immediately scanning her surroundings. Waverly just needed to get a small glimpse of that bright red hair she grew extremely fond of in order to feel a little better. She just needed to know that Nicole was in fact home with her and that the past year wasn't just some dream.

Spotting a figure covered by a blanket near the gate at the edge of the driveway, Waverly put her hand over her eyes hoping it would help her vision become a little clearer. Luckily, once she squinted her eyes and concentrated on focusing at the far distance, Waverly saw Nicole's hair brightly reflecting the sunlight. A small sigh of relief escaped Waverly's lungs as she started sprinting in Nicole's direction, forgetting how cold she was becoming.

* * *

 Turning her head due to the sound of footsteps coming at her fast, Nicole gasped when she saw Waverly running toward her from the house. Standing up carefully and worriedly, Nicole didn't realize how exposed Waverly was to the cold until she got a little bit closer.  _Jesus, Waverly! What the hell are you doing out here in the snow with a t-shirt, shorts, and no shoes... Shit! I wasn't there when she woke up._

Once the realization of why Waverly was outside the way she was hit her, Nicole picked up the blanket to where she could sprint towards Waverly. The only thing Nicole wanted... no needed to do at that moment was get Waverly covered so that she wouldn't get sick later. As the distance between Nicole and Waverly grew shorter and shorter, Nicole noticed tear streaks cascading down Waverly's cheeks while accompanied with bright red puffy eyes.

Although the impact of their bodies colliding (from how fast each other had been running) was enough to take Nicole's breath away, she didn't focus on her lungs gasping for the air they had just lost. All Nicole could focus on was wrapping the blanket around Waverly while muttering soft apologies and placing gentle kisses on top of Waverly's head. Nicole could hear the silent sobs coming from Waverly as she buried herself into Nicole's chest, grasping at her shirt as though nothing was real.

"Come on, Baby. We need to get you inside and warm again. Please," Nicole pleaded after feeling exactly how cold Waverly's skin was to the touch.  _I can't believe she came out here with practically nothing on just to find me... Maybe we need to sit down with someone and see if talking will help us get over our fears of losing each other._ Nicole kissed the top of Waverly's head one last time before picking Waverly up bridel style, blanket and all, and carrying her inside the homestead.


	2. I'd Carry Her Anywhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone!
> 
> So I just realized when writing this chapter that although Purgatory is in Canada, I wrote Nicole's character as a United States Marine in the story titled 'Three Years'. So in order to straighten things out, not only for myself but also for you all, I am going to say Nicole moved to Canada but was still called to serve in the United States Marines. (I don't actually know if that happens, but this isn't entirely based on reality.)
> 
> Also, just a warning for anyone who has triggers or anything, this chapter goes into detail about Nicole having a panic attack caused by the loud explosions of fireworks, as a result of PTSD. Please read at your own discretion.
> 
> -Me-

Knowing Doc was sleeping on the couch in the living room, Nicole carefully balanced Waverly in her arms and herself on her feet as she gradually made her way back up the stairs. With each step upward she took, Nicole internally debated on taking Waverly either to the shower or back to her... their room, in order to get warmed up. Nicole lightly smiled at the thought of calling the room theirs, since the idea of calling anything "theirs" was one of Nicole's favorite aspects of loving Waverly.

 _With how cold Waverly is, water is going to feel like lava against her skin. She suffered enough emotional stress and pain this morning; she really does not need to go through a hot shower gone wrong._ Gently kissing the top of Waverly's shivering head, Nicole moved toward the door to their room and sighed in relief when she saw it had not closed all the way. Using her back to push the door open, Nicole kept her eyes focused on Waverly as she carried her the rest of the distance to the bed.

Nicole thought back to just an hour before when she woke up in a cold sweat and needed to go outside for some fresh air. The nightmares of the battlefield, the bodies, and everything had grown progressively worse for Nicole within the last week: yet she always tried her best to remain strong for Waverly. One of the few things in life that Nicole truly did not ever want to happen was for Waverly to see Nicole as anything close to weak.

It wasn't as though anyone told Nicole she had to remain strong, even if the pieces of her mind and heart were shattering across the floor behind her. Nicole simply was never comfortable with the feeling of pain and vulnerability washing over her because the few times those feelings were apparent, the universe threw every ounce of bullshit it could at her life. So in order to shield the people around her from becoming casualties to a shit-throwing-universe, Nicole kept her broken shields up constantly while drowning in the sadness filling behind her shields.

Gently setting Waverly down onto the bed, careful not to lose her balance in the process and end up on top of her by accident, Nicole felt her heart flare up with pain inside her chest when she saw the expression across Waverly's face. Waverly had her eyes glued shut with faint streaks of tears still prominent on her cheeks; all while shivering like a chihuahua on Christmas.  _How am I ever going to be able to fix what I broke inside of you, Waverly?_

"Will... will please s-stay with me?" Waverly asked softly as Nicole moved to grab some of Waverly's blankets. Looking back up at Waverly, Nicole saw the rawest vulnerability and pleading seeping from Waverly's soul through her eyes. Knowing Waverly wouldn't be able to rest if she wasn't there, plus the opportunity to cuddle was something that could never be denied, Nicole lightly nodded her head before climbing into the bed next to Waverly.

Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly and pulled her in close, placing a small kiss on top of Waverly's head. Feeling Waverly instantly cuddle closer into her body, Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath of relief knowing that Waverly would be alright. Even though Nicole knew she wouldn't be falling back to sleep anytime soon, she stayed in the same position with Waverly in her arms as she thought back to some memories of when Waverly kept her calm from similar fears.

*******

_Sitting in the back of Wynonna's pick-up truck with the entire gang; Waverly, Wynonna, Doc, Dolls, and Jeremy (how they managed to all fit comfortably was still a mystery), Nicole smiled brightly while leaning her head on Waverly's shoulder in time to photo-bomb the selfie Waverly had been trying to take before the battery in her phone died. A small laugh escaped Nicole's lungs when she felt Waverly lightly punch her shoulder and mumble happily about Nicole being in the photograph, before feeling Waverly press a quick kiss to her cheek._

_Checking the time on her watch as she took a drink of her 'Red, White, and Berry' wine cooler (her brother sent a case to her from the States), Nicole noticed the fireworks were due to start in less than ten minutes. Christmas had passed with ease and now everyone was only a few minutes from bringing in the new year, meaning everybody in the small town of Purgatory would be setting of some form of fireworks. Nicole was excited to be able to spend this New Year's Eve with Waverly and everyone, but she had a small ounce of anxiety resting on her shoulders._

_From previous and personal experience regarding how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder could affect a person, especially if the said person had served their country on the battleground, Nicole was worried about how her subconscious would react during the recreational explosions. When she was young, Nicole never saw her grandfather accompany the family to the fireworks. She didn't know why until one year when the ignorant neighbors down the street let off firecrackers. The way her grandfather reacted to the noise was something that Nicole, to this day, could not get out of her head._

_Nicole didn't want to have a panic attack in front of everyone; more importantly, she didn't want the image of her having one to be burned into Waverly's mind. However, Nicole understood that reactions caused by PTSD were not things she would be able to control or fix right away. So Nicole wrapped an arm around Waverly and rested her head on Waverly's shoulder before taking a deep breath and hoping for the best._

_"Nicole... Are you okay?" Waverly asked with more than a hint of concern in her voice. Nicole internally smiled at Waverly's ability to sense a change in her mood, no matter how big or small the change may have been. However, before Nicole could reply to Waverly's question, the rest of the gang started the countdown (loud enough for practically all of Purgatory to hear) to New Years._

_The sound of the countdown in Nicole's ears became drowned out by the noise of her own heart beating with anticipation, adrenaline, and anxiety all at once. Feeling the palms of her hands instantly turn sweaty and cold, Nicole tried taking deep breaths in her nose and out her mouth in order to stop the feeling washing over her body. What Nicole failed to realize was Waverly had stopped counting and started trying to get her attention without much success._

_"Nicole, please talk to me. I am worried about-" the first few explosions of fireworks in the sky cut Waverly off in the middle of her sentence. Flashbacks of her time on the battlefield, all the bodies and blood around her, the bullets flying through the air, and so much more started playing right before Nicole's eyes, clouding her vision of reality. The last coherent thought to cross Nicole's mind dealt with how horrible of a combination PTSD and alcohol were._

_Removing herself quickly from Waverly, Nicole jumped out of the back of Wynonna's truck and ran to the side, as if ducking for cover behind a military vehicle on the battleground. The entire gang appeared confused and worried about Nicole's actions. However, only Waverly and Wynonna seemed to fully understand what had happened as they both jumped out of the truck to reach Nicole._

_"Wynonna! Get the noise-canceling headphones out of my bag! Now!" Waverly yelled as she bent down in front of Nicole, who had been a crying mess by now. Nicole kept silently screaming for the fight to stop in order to get back to Waverly, to home in Purgatory; the panic attack causing her to forget she made it home to both of those things. Waverly kept trying to get her voice through to Nicole, continuously telling her how much she loved her and more until Wynonna found the headset and carefully slipped them over Nicole's ears._

_As the minutes passed while wearing the headset, Nicole felt her heartbeat decrease slowly and watched as reality finally came back into her line of sight. The first thing about reality that Nicole comprehended was Waverly's big brown eyes staring into her own, with tears falling slowly like a river in the spring. Nicole immediately threw herself into Waverly's arms once control of her body came back and didn't stop apologizing until falling asleep later that night._

*******

Watching the gentle rise and fall of Waverly's chest as she remained soundly asleep, Nicole subconsciously started running her fingers softly up and down Waverly's arm. About an hour or two had passed since she managed to get Waverly back upstairs and asleep, yet Nicole couldn't rest herself until she figured out how to help Waverly feel better again and not wake up in a panic.

The sound of the door opening broke Nicole's thoughts as she looked up to see Wynonna entering the room, still wearing her pajamas and a look of exhaustion on her face. Nicole watched as Wynonna looked carefully at Waverly's sleeping figure, as if trying to decipher the horrible emotions emitting from her mind. Then, when Wynonna gave Nicole a confused look, Nicole motioned to the chair in the room for Wynonna to sit down.

"She came running outside with practically nothing on, panicking and scared, because I wasn't there when she woke up," Nicole started explaining quietly after Wynonna pulled the chair closer to the bed. "I understand why she panics and gets worried if I'm not there when she wakes up, truly I do... It's just, I wish she wouldn't have to face these feelings because I was gone for three years."

"Nicole... It's going to take some time for the both of you to heal after spending so much time apart. This isn't the worst shape I have seen Waverly in... and I don't know what I would do if she got back to that state again... What I do know is that you two have to work together on fixing the cracks and pain. Otherwise, neither of you will truly be okay again," Wynonna replied sincerely. Nicole nodded her head and watched as Wynonna silently left the room, leaving Nicole alone with Waverly again.

Placing a soft kiss on top of Waverly's head, Nicole closed her eyes again and this time, attempted to get a little more rest before the day officially started at the Earp Homestead.  _In less than a week, you will have not only stolen my heart, but also my last name. I swear on my life, Waverly, we will get through this rough patch and once again be able to hold each other close without fear of letting go. I love you so much, Waverly._


	3. The Start of Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone!
> 
> I am extremely sorry for the late update on this story, but finding inspiration has been a little bit difficult lately. However, another chapter is yours for the taking and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, this is more of a filler chapter than the last ones have been, just an FYI.
> 
> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> -Me-

When Waverly awoke for the second time that day, she shot straight up and started breathing heavy as she remembered her panic attack from earlier.  _Holy shitballs! Did I find her? Am I going crazy again? Please... just give me a sign..._ The sound of heavy snoring beside her caused Waverly's thoughts to be interrupted and her head to turn so fast it hurt her neck. A ginormous smile appeared across her lips as the sight of Nicole sleeping peacefully filled Waverly's view.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Waverly placed a gentle kiss on Nicole's forehead before grabbing her phone off the nightstand in order to see what time it was. Her phone read that the time was almost 11 in the morning, meaning Waverly and Nicole slept in way past their normal time. Knowing they both had a large amount of work to do for their wedding in less than three days, Waverly gently kissed Nicole's forehead again before attempting to wake her up.

"Nicole... Baby, it's time to get up," Waverly said softly as she watched Nicole start to move a little bit before her eyes opened the least bit possible. "I... I am so sorry about earlier, Baby. It has been almost a year and I am trying so hard to be better for you... Sometimes I just feel like I have become too broken and hurt for you..." Waverly continued as she felt fresh tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes.

Waverly watched with love filled eyes as Nicole's arms became gently wrapped around her waist, pulling her own body closer to Nicole's in a comforting manner. Mornings such as this, expect the entire panic attack and trecking through the snow practically naked, were Waverly's favorite because not only did the extra sleep feel amazing, but waking up next to Nicole with a small smile on her face reminded Waverly why they fell head-over-heels for each other in the first place.

However, the overwhelming emotion of love that Waverly began to feel in that moment didn't last long due to the memory of only hours ago. A silent sigh escaped Waverly's lips while she shook her head slightly, knowing how much panic she must have put Nicole through without even thinking about her own level of anxiety from earlier.

"I can see those wheels turning in that big, beautiful brain of yours, Waverly. I understand that getting through the demons of the past and working towards the future is going to take some time," Nicole said, successfully interrupting Waverly's train of thought. "I still have my own battles I am facing and will probably be facing for a while. But, the one thing that makes all the fighting worth it is waking up next to you and realizing 'I must have done something right to deserve you in my life'."

Unable to contain her emotions anymore, Waverly felt tears begin to cascade down her cheeks; of which Nicole would try to wipe away gently without accidentally poking Waverly in the eye. Leaning forward slowly, Waverly connected her lips with Nicole's and internally smiled at the fireworks she felt go off between them. The feeling of fitting almost perfectly with Nicole (because let's face it, nothing in life will ever truly be perfect: but that's the beauty of it,) the rush of warmth that spread throughout her entire body, and the aura of safety that enveloped them: all of it still shocked Waverly no matter how much she had kissed Nicole.

"Also," Nicole began saying as she pulled away from the kiss due to the need for air,"if you want to, and only if you want to, we could go see somebody in order to talk about these feelings. I read somewhere that talking to a person in order to just keep thoughts, worries, and more from clouding your mind can help start the process of healing as a couple."

"How do you do that?" Waverly asked as tears slowly continued their descent down her cheeks. After seeing the look of confusion painted across Nicole's face, Waverly smiled softly as she started to better explain her question. "How do you always know the right things to say when I am upset or have hurt you? How do you continuously make me feel more loved than I ever have in my entire lifetime? How do you keep me sane when there are days when the amount of love I have for you is uncontrollable and like a personal drug?"

This wasn't the first time Waverly had asked Nicole how she is able to do the things that make her genuine, unique, extraordinary, and so much more. However, this was the first time when Waverly was being serious with her words instead of using the question as a way to hear Nicole's laugh once more. This time, Waverly really wanted... no, needed to hear Nicole explain how she could keep being herself after all the struggles they had been through.

"With you Waverly, I don't feel like I need to ever hold back my words. I can ramble on about anything, just like you do sometimes, and know that you will always understand what I am saying. Somedays, I feel like loving you should be illegal with the way it makes me feel; like I should be locked up due to being addicted to your presence," Nicole started explaining before stopping to catch her breath and collect her thoughts. "And who would want to stay sane in this world? If it meant being by your side forever, I would personally go insane and never come back."

Nodding her head gently, Waverly pulled Nicole close into a deep hug with hopes of conveying all the words she wasn't able to think of at the moment. Even though Waverly is fluent in four different languages, there were multiple instances in life where she felt words were simply not enough to express the things she was feeling or trying to say.

A sudden knock on the bedroom door caused both Waverly and Nicole to jump slightly before they heard Wynonna yell from the other side to get ready for the "busy-ass day" both women had ahead of them. Waverly heard a small chuckle come from Nicole, who had been shaking her head with a smile on her face in response to Wynonna not entering the room. The memory of Wynonna walking in on the two of them, more than one, in compromising positions filled Waverly's mind and reminded her why Wynonna was hesitant to open the door anymore.

Once the sound of Wynonna's footsteps grew softer as she left from outside the door, Waverly stole another quick kiss from Nicole before gently pulling both of them out of bed to get dressed and ready. The jitters of being married to Nicole had started filling Waverly's heart weeks ago, causing moments of uncontrollable smiles and laughter. However, with less than three days until the most important moment of their lives, Waverly started worrying about whether she would do something wrong and ruin the moment for everyone.


	4. Wynonna: AKA the Wedding Planner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone!
> 
> So I just want to say this and get it off my chest real quick. I understand that in the show, usually, Nicole is the one to be composed and able to deal with difficult situations while Waverly tends to be the more emotional person in the relationship. This is also what this chapter and a couple of other's have portrayed so far.
> 
> However, I do want to let you know that I will be adding a chapter or two where Nicole appears to be the more emotional person and Waverly is the grounded one because no one is perfect and showing emotions is not a horrible thing by any means. So please be patient with me, as writing Nicole as emotional is a little bit tricky.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know! I love reading everyone's comments.
> 
> -Me-

"So please remind me again how 'miss planner' and 'miss perfect' still, to less than three days before the wedding, do not yet have their wedding cake picked out yet?" Nicole heard Wynonna ask as Waverly and herself appeared in the kitchen. Nicole shooked her head playfully and rolled her eyes at the sarcasm stuffed within Wynonna's question. Although Waverly truly was a planner and hated when things didn't go according to schedule, Nicole was far from perfect and needed to come to terms with that soon.

Nonetheless, Wynonna wasn't being 100 percent sarcastic, as Nicole and Waverly still needed to make their decision on the flavor, color, and types of decorations for their wedding cake. Nicole knew that if those decisions were not finalized today, both women would be stuck with eating store-bought cupcakes as their first desert as a married couple. However, with Waverly being the one to make most of the decisions and Nicole agreeing with almost anything, they had fallen behind because Waverly still couldn't make up her own mind.

Sitting down at the small kitchen table as Waverly moved to the coffee pot by the sink, Nicole raised her hands in slight defeat towards Wynonna as a small laugh escaped her lips. There were too many things factored into the cake decision that Waverly and Nicole forgot about. Nicole smirked slightly as Waverly just simply rolled her eyes before an expression of deep thought and worry spread across her face; signaling to Nicole that Waverly finally understood how urgent this decision had grown to become.

"Shit-tickets! Is there even a bakery that can get a cake done in this short amount of time?" Waverly began questioning out loud as she handed a mug of coffee to Nicole. "I know that there really isn't going to be that many guests... Let me see: Dolls, Doc, Jeremy, Nedly, Chrissy, Lonnie, Robin, Aunt Gus, You and Me of course, Wynonna... Holy shit. I also have to try and find a bakery that is able to do a vegan cake, if that is even remotely possible-"

"Hold the phone, baby-girl. Stop for a second and catch your breath before Nicole and I have to pick your tiny ass up from passing out," Wynonna said with a smile on her face as she rested her hands gently onto Waverly's shoulders. Nicole took a quick sip of her coffee before standing up and moving to kneel in front of Waverly. If one panic attack during the day was enough, Nicole was pretty sure Waverly would drive herself to another if she didn't do something to help the situation fast

As Nicole tried searching for the right words in order to ease both Waverly's mind and heart, she also did her best to remember all the research on places that baked vegan cakes in the least amount of time. If it weren't for the help from Wynonna, which involved Wynonna hacking into Waverly's computer to find the folder containing any and all vegan option food locations within the country (and some other things Wynonna never wanted to see again), then Nicole would have been out of luck completely.

Taking a deep breath and smiling as she looked into Waverly's eyes, Nicole helped walk Waverly through a couple of deep breath/relaxation exercises that she had learned while away for those three years. Nicole didn't notice right away the amazed look on Wynonna's face in response to the way Waverly calmed down so quickly; Nicole also wouldn't find out until later that Wynonna had been wishing she knew better ways to help Waverly during those three years.

"Hey, let's just take this one step at a time and figure out a way to move past this slowly," Nicole said softly. After Waverly nodded her head in both Nicole and Wynonna's direction, Nicole started explaining her idea on how to fix the problem at hand. "I think I remember a bakery that does both vegan cakes and regular cakes that is just in the city. We may have stolen that information off your computer though, so please don't hate us."

"Yeah, that and some things I still can't unsee when I close my eyes by the way," Wynonna added quickly with a sarcastic tone in her voice before Waverly could be mad at them for going through her computer. If there was one thing Nicole loved about the Earps, it was their ability to turn a stressful situation around with just one hilarious, random, or quirky comment: especially Wynonna. (Come on, who tells vampires that they can eat a dick in the middle of a blood-sucking party, besides Wynonna.)

As Nicole finished explaining her plan to Waverly and Wynonna, she felt a comforting feeling wash over her body as the sight of relief filled Waverly's eyes. Things were finally coming together for the wedding. Nicole was glad that her last minute and quick thinking came to the rescue, but she still wouldn't take the credit from Wynonna, who had been acting as their secondary wedding planner when things became too much for anyone to remember.

Waverly leaned forward and stole a quick kiss from Nicole, even though she internally couldn't control her laughter due to hearing Wynonna fake a gag before she nodded her head and agreed to Nicole and Wynonna's plan for the wedding cake. All that was left to be planned or dealt with before the wedding was small/minor issues that Waverly would focus on later; such as checking the weather for the millionth time (it was supposed to be cold btw), making sure Wynonna hadn't found the stash of alcohol for the wedding, and more.

But for now, the plan was simple and would hopefully be an easy fix. Waverly, Jeremy, Nicole, and Wynonna would go to the bakery that did both vegan and traditional cakes in order to do one last taste testing. (With Nicole and Wynonna testing the non-vegan options and taking pictures of Waverly and Jeremy fawning over vegan cake.) Then, as far as color and decoration, Nicole suggested that instead of choosing the traditional white style cake, to have a faded-cabin style decoration to represent the Homestead and Shorty's.

Shorty's was an obvious choice because it had been where Nicole and Waverly first spoke (and where Nicole first saw Waverly without a shirt on. She thanked Shorty every day for not fixing that beer tap.) However, the Homestead was a more intimate choice that Nicole had actually been thinking about including on the cake for a while. They almost died together saving Wynonna on the Homestead, Nicole proposed to Waverly on the Homestead, and they would be taking the biggest step of their lives on the Homestead.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your 'heart-eyes/eye-fucking' session, but here is a food for thought. Are you guys going to make one tier of the cake vegan and one tier not? Cause if so, please make sure you don't pick similar flavors because this girl likes her eggs, milk, butter, and shit way too much," Wynonna said after waving a quick hand between Waverly and Nicole. "Also, please tell me I can smash some cake in one of your faces that day because you too will, for sure, be way too gentle when giving the other the first bite."


End file.
